Page 34

CHAPTER 34

NATE

I can’t stop watching Caspian’s booth at the festival. He’s serving hot chocolate with the same warmth and enthusiasm he always shows his customers, but I can see the tension in his shoulders, the slight strain around his eyes. After helping him pack up yesterday, I’d hoped he might call, but my phone had stayed silent. Now I’m not sure where we stand—if we’re just friends or if there’s still a chance for more.

“You know, stalking isn’t actually romantic,” Addy’s voice makes me jump.

“I’m not stalking,” I protest. “I’m just…”

“Lurking creepily in the shadows?” She raises an eyebrow. “Have you talked to him?”

I run a hand through my hair. “Not since helping him pack up yesterday. I’m trying, but I can’t get close. He’s always surrounded by people, and I don’t know if he even wants to talk to me.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Addy grabs my hand. “Come with me.”

She drags me through the crowd toward the Wishing Tree, its branches heavy with decorations containing people’s hopes and dreams for the new year. My eyes automatically find the spot where Caspian hung his wish last week. I don’t know which one is his, but I know it’s there somewhere.

“Make a wish,” Addy commands.

“You know this is all just?—”

“Make. A. Wish.”

I approach Mrs. Hamilton’s booth near the Wishing Tree, where she’s handing out the official wishing kits—small pieces of parchment paper and delicate glass ornaments. She gives me a knowing smile as she hands me one.

“Write from your heart, dear,” she says, patting my hand. “The tree knows when wishes are sincere.”

I find a quiet spot and stare at the blank paper, pen hovering. Finally, I write what I’m truly wishing for: I wish for a chance to show Caspian how much I love him and to make things right between us .

After carefully rolling the paper and sliding it into the glass ornament, I hang it on the tree among hundreds of other wishes. I feel foolish but desperate enough to try anything. Looking up at the branches heavy with hopes and dreams, I silently add a prayer that this town tradition really does have some magic in it after all.

Addy kisses my cheek. “There. Was that so hard? I’m going to find Hannah.”

As she walks away, someone clears their throat behind me. I turn to find Marcus standing there, arms crossed, wearing an expression that manages to be both threatening and amused.

“So,” he says, “you’re really in love with my best friend.”

My heart skips at his words. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only to anyone with eyes,” he says dryly. “And ears. And basic human perception. You look at him like he personally hung every star in the sky just to make your morning coffee brighter.”

“I don’t?—”

“Oh, you absolutely do. It’s disgustingly adorable.” He steps closer, his expression turning serious. “Listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once. Caspian loves you too. The way he talks about you? It’s like listening to one of those romance audiobooks he’s always playing in his car.”

“Really?”

“God, you’re both hopeless.” Marcus throws his hands up. “Yes, really. And if you hurt him again, I will personally remove your testicles and feed them to the mountain lions in Arizona. I know a guy who knows a guy who works at a place. Don’t test me.”

“I love him,” I say quietly. “But he doesn’t seem to want to talk to me.”

“Then you’re not trying hard enough.” Marcus sighs dramatically. “Look, I flew all the way from Phoenix to potentially murder you, and now I’m actually rooting for you two idiots to work it out. Do you know how exhausting this emotional journey has been for me? The least you could do is make a grand gesture or something.”

Suddenly, I have an idea. “Here,” I say, pulling out my phone and handing it to Marcus. “Type your number in. Can you text me when you’re heading home? Just one alert, that’s all I need.” When Marcus hands my phone back to me, I text him so he has my number.

Marcus studies me for a moment, then nods. “Don’t mess this up,” he says before returning to the coffee stand.

I rush home and call Jasper in a panic. “I need fake candles. A lot of them. Where can I get them?”

My brother’s laughter crackles through the phone. “It’s after hours, genius. Everything’s closed.”

“Please,” I beg. “I need to make things right with Caspian. I can’t mess this up.”

There’s a pause, followed by a dramatic sigh. “You should be thankful Lottie exists because, thanks to her craft projects and random collections, I happen to have an unreasonable amount of random supplies. Give me an hour.”

True to his word, Jasper shows up at my door sixty minutes later with two overflowing bags. “Lottie’s going through a princess phase,” he explains, pulling out strings of fairy lights and battery-operated candles. “These were for her next tea party, but your love life needs them more.”

Together, we transform my living room. By the time my phone buzzes with Marcus’s text, the warm glow from nearly a hundred fake candles fills the space, complemented by twinkling fairy lights draped along the walls.

“Good luck,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder before leaving. “Don’t waste my daughter’s princess supplies.”

As Jasper heads out, Caspian and Marcus are walking up the driveway. They pass each other at the bottom of my steps, and Caspian gives Jasper a friendly “hi.” But what catches my attention is the way Marcus suddenly stops in his tracks, his eyes following Jasper’s retreating form. When Jasper notices Marcus staring, he stumbles slightly, nearly missing the last step.

I bite back a laugh at their exchange, filing away this interesting development for later, and walk up to Caspian.

“Caspian?” I call out. “Can we talk?”

He hesitates, looking at Marcus, who gives him a gentle push in my direction. “Go on,” Marcus says. “I’ll be right next door if you need me.”

Caspian walks toward me slowly, and I step aside to let him in. He stops abruptly in the doorway, his mouth falling open as he takes in the scene before him. The soft glow from hundreds of candles reflects in his dark eyes, making them sparkle with wonder.

“Oh,” he breathes, turning in a slow circle to take it all in. His fingers reach out to trace one of the strings of twinkling fairy lights draped along the walls, a gentle smile spreading across his face. “This looks beautiful. Like the Winter Wishes Festival.”

My heart swells seeing him smile, the first real smile he’s given me in days. Maybe there’s hope for us after all.

“Are you hungry?” I ask.

He shakes his head.

“How about some hot chocolate?”

A small smile tugs at his lips. “Yes, please.”

I hurry to the kitchen, returning with his favorite. Hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon. We settle on the couch, and I take a deep breath.

“I know I already apologized, but I need you to understand why I helped your brothers,” I start, my voice wavering. “When I overheard their conversation, and they told me why they’re in Maplewood, they were desperate to connect with you. I could see how much they wanted to be part of your life. I couldn’t stand in the way of that, even if it meant risking everything between us. I should have told you, but I was trying to protect their chance to explain things their way.”

He looks up from his hot chocolate. “I talked to Tate and Tristan this morning.”

“You did?”

He nods. “They told me everything.” I listen as he recounts his brothers’ visit to the store today.

“How do you feel about it?”

Caspian’s face lights up. “I have a family, Nate. I’m an uncle! They showed me pictures of Sienna, and Bailey apparently loves the book he got from my shop the other day.”

His enthusiasm is contagious, and despite my fears, I can’t help but smile. “I’m really happy for you, Caspian. You deserve this.” I take a deep breath. “And I want you to know that…if you decide to move to Connecticut to be closer to them, I’ll understand. Family is important, and you shouldn’t feel tied down here just because?—”

He sets his mug down and turns to face me fully. “That’s insane. Why would I leave Maplewood?”

“Your fam?—”

“Not unless you were moving too,” he says, interrupting me. “Because I’m in love with you, you idiot.”

My heart stops, then starts racing double-time. “Say it again.”

“In love with you,” he repeats, his eyes shining in the candlelight. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You make me feel safe, understood, and cherished. Even when I was angry with you, I couldn’t stop loving you.”

I reach for him, cupping his face in my hands. “I love you too,” I whisper. “So much it terrifies me sometimes.”

“You know what I realized from talking to my brothers?” he asks softly.

“What?”

“That sometimes family isn’t about where you came from. It’s about where you choose to be.” He opens his eyes, meeting mine. “And I choose to be here with you.”

I can’t wait any longer. I lean in and kiss him, pouring all my love, relief, and joy into it. He responds immediately, his hands coming up to tangle in my hair as he pulls me closer.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing heavily. “So,” I say, resting my forehead against his, “does this mean you forgive me?”

He pretends to think about it. “Well, you did make me hot chocolate. And lit about a million candles.”

“Don’t forget the soup.”

He laughs, the sound warming me from the inside out. “The soup was pretty amazing.”

“I’ll make you soup every day if you want,” I promise. “I’ll do anything you want.”

His expression softens. “Just love me,” he says. “That’s all I want.”

“That,” I say, pulling him close again, “is the easiest promise I’ll ever make.”